Lots of people drink alcohol on all sorts of occasions and for all sorts of reasons. For some people, social drinking can lead to heavier drinking, leading to excessive or harmful alcohol consumption and sometimes dependence on alcohol. Alcohol use is often related to accidents, crime, domestic violence and child abuse.
The health risks linked to heavy drinking include:
- liver disease
- anaemia and nutritional disease
- pancreatitis
- heart muscle damage
- dementia
- psychiatric disorders
The chart below shows that in 2003-2005, Merthyr Tydfil had the highest proportion of people in Wales who report drinking more than the recommended amounts of daily alcohol.
The recommendation for alcohol consumption is that men should drink no more than 3-4 units per day, and women no more than 2-3 units per day.
Binge Drinking:
Binge drinking is becoming a big problem in the UK with around 40% of patients admitted to A&E diagnosed with alcohol-related injuries or illnesses. Binge drinking is defined as drinking eight or more units of alcohol in one session for men, and more than six units in one session for women.
The chart below shows that in 2003-2005, Merthyr Tydfil had the 3rd highest proportion of people in Wales who reported drinking on at least one day in the past week.
Alcohol Related Deaths
A Statistical bulletin 'Alcohol-related deaths in Wales, 2005' was published on 6 December 2007. It presents data on alcohol-related deaths in Wales in 2005, based on figures produced by the Office for National Statistics. Some data for earlier years and for unitary authorities are also included. It shows that:
- In 1998-2005 the highest average rate of alcohol-related deaths in Wales was in Merthyr Tydfil (16.0 per 100,000 population) whilst the lowest rate was in Monmouthshire (5.9 per 100,000 population).
Children & Young People
Adverse health outcomes resulting from alcohol use are common among young people and many alcohol-related deaths occur relatively early in life. They also include intentional and unintentional injuries, both of which are related to patterns of drinking. The negative social consequences include missing school, falling behind in schoolwork, unplanned and unprotected sexual activity, arguments with friends, destructive behaviour and trouble with the police (WHO, 2004).
Whilst there is no data at Local Authority level, the information at the national level indicates that there is a serious problem with alcohol amongst children and young people, with seven per cent of 11-year old girls and 12 per cent of 11-year old boys in Wales reported drinking any alcohol on a weekly basis. For 13-year olds nearly a quarter of girls and a third of boys in Wales reported drinking any alcoholic drink weekly . Data for 15-year olds shows that Wales has the highest proportion of young people in this age group reporting to drink on a weekly basis. Over 50% of girls and almost 60% of boys reported drinking alcohol on a weekly basis.